My research interest is in the molecular biology of gene expression, especially transcription and RNA processing. I would like to learn what DNA sequences and signals comprise a eukaryotic promoter. Specifically, I hope to ask and at least partially answer questions such as: what are the limits of a specific promoter (over how many base pairs of DNA does it extend)?; what is the consequence of specific mutations (deletions, insertions and base changes) in a promoter?; how do some protein-DNA interactions modulate or control gene expression?; and what is the nature of position, or context, of regulatory signals relative to start points of RNA synthesis? Another interest is in the control of RNA splicing and the role of specific RNA sequences and structures in it. My primary methodological approach will be to alter the origin/early promoter region of the polyoma genome in specific ways and then to analyze the consequences of particular deletions, insertions, rearrangements and point mutations at the level of in vivo and in vitro transcription. The modulating effects of wild type or altered T antigens on in vitro transcription will also be investigated.